Death toll from Cyclone Kenneth rises to 38 in Mozambique

At least 38 people have been killed since Cyclone Kenneth began to batter the northern coast of Mozambique, the National Disaster Management Agency said on Monday.

At least 39 others were injured on day four of the tropical storm, the National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) said in a statement.

Previously, the agency had placed the death toll at five people in Mozambique, with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) reporting three deaths in the Comoros Islands, where the cyclone hit land first.

Rains continued to cause flooding and create a risk of landslides in northern Mozambique on Monday, where the Cabo Delgado province was the worst affected area, according to aid agencies.

International aid organisation care reported “devastating destruction” in many communities in Mozambique’s north.

Almost 170,000 people have been affected by the cyclone, according to the INGC.

Some 450 houses have been destroyed while almost 3,000 houses and 50 electric towers were heavily damaged, disaster officials said.

The full extent of the disaster, however, remained unknown on Monday, as many communities continued to be cut off from the outside world.

Cyclone Kenneth first hit the Comoros Islands last week, and on Thursday night barrelled into northern Mozambique, hitting the southern African nation’s Cabo Delgado province with winds of about 120 kilometres an hour.

The WMO said there was no other record of two storms of such intensity striking Mozambique in the same season, referencing Cyclone Idai, which in March killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.